ABQjournal: LANL Temps To Go Permanent

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

LANL Temps To Go Permanent

By Adam Rankin
Journal Staff Writer
    LOS ALAMOS— A major restructuring of the Los Alamos National Laboratory work force will increase the number of permanent employees by about 25 percent and save more than $20 million a year, according to plans announced Tuesday.
    Rich Marquez, LANL associate director for administration, said the move will turn about 2,000 temporary and subcontract workers into permanent University of California laboratory employees.
    "It turns out we subcontract for roughly 30 percent of our labor," Marquez said. Those jobs hadn't been examined to determine whether they would cost the university less as full-time positions, he added.
    Labor representatives expressed cautious optimism. They agreed the move is long overdue but were wary of how the transition and hiring will be handled.
    "Contractors will finally find some assurance that they are UC employees," and will receive UC employment benefits, said Manny Trujillo, president of LANL's University Professional and Technical Employees union.
    "This lab doesn't do things out of the goodness of their heart. It is usually when they are forced to through legal means or through the media," Trujillo said. "This came about because of a lot of pressure."
    The work force shift is part of ongoing LANL efforts to sharpen its business practices and management, according to LANL officials. All LANL employees were notified of the so-called "Contingent Worker Plan" in an all-employee e-mail Tuesday from lab director Pete Nanos.
    LANL has about 8,000 full-time university employees. UC has operated LANL for the U.S. government since 1943.
    In all, about 3,000 subcontract jobs— including many clerical and administrative assistant positions, computer desktop and operations support staff— will be reviewed.
    Marquez said those employees cost LANL about $135 million a year.
    "It is interesting to see the lab finally come around and correct a longstanding, long-overdue problem," said Richard Hughes. Hughes represents a group of LANL employees suing the lab over alleged pay disparities.
    LANL spokesman James Rickman said the lawsuit had no influence over the work force shift and evaluation.
    Nanos ordered the review in December. It is the first major work force shift of subcontract employees at LANL, lab officials said.
    After a series of external reviews highlighted weaknesses in LANL business and management practices, Department of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced in April 2003 that the LANL contract will be up for grabs in September 2005.
    "Whether UC decides to compete or not these are things that needed to be done...it's overdue," Marquez said. "Everything that we are doing is part of a long-range strategic plan to modernize."
    Marquez said the work force shift also eliminates an "artificial caste system" that developed over the years. It arbitrarily elevated UC employees above contract workers, even when employees in the two groups had similar responsibilities and answered to the same LANL managers, he said.
    The total number of job positions isn't expected to significantly change. Which positions will be transferred to UC employment or what the salaries will be is yet to be determined, Marquez said.
    Those decisions will be worked out in a "division by division, group by group" review based on work requirements of each laboratory division, he said. Long-term jobs will most likely be converted into UC positions.